Search Grants & Funding

The Emerging Gamemakers Fund offers flexible support to emerging independent games practitioners as well as established gamemakers who are interested in exploring creative and artistic experimentation within their practice.

It can fund the creation of a prototype or the completion and release of a micro-scale game. The program will run as a series of rounds from financial year 2023/24 until financial year 2026/27.

For games that are already developed to the point of having a playable prototype, consider instead applying for the Games Production Fund.

Given the scale of funding available and the obligation for teams to compensate themselves fairly under Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade, this program is aimed at teams of smaller sizes, although larger teams are still eligible to apply.

The Emerging Gamemakers Fund offers flexible support to emerging independent games practitioners as well as established gamemakers who are interested in exploring creative and artistic experimentation within their practice.

It can fund the creation of a prototype or the completion and release of a micro-scale game. The program will run as a series of rounds from financial year 2023/24 until financial year 2026/27.

For games that are already developed to the point of having a playable prototype, consider instead applying for the Games Production Fund.

Given the scale of funding available and the obligation for teams to compensate themselves fairly under Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade, this program is aimed at teams of smaller sizes, although larger teams are still eligible to apply.

The Games Production Fund offers flexible support to Australian independent gamemakers and games studios. The grant is aimed at projects that already have an early-stage prototype. 

The program allows Screen Australia to respond to the varied needs of gamemakers at different career stages, providing direct funding that will assist studios in meeting their goals and establishing themselves in the international games landscape.

Applicants must contextualise the milestone they are working towards and how this funding will help them achieve it in their applications. Significant milestones include: 

• Completion/release of a game
• Early Access release of a game
• Completion of a demo (to release at a digital event, or present at a physical event)
• Creating a vertical slice that is of global competitive quality and enables a team to access the international funding and pitching ecosystem
• Developing an early-stage prototype to a quality suitable for submission to an accolade signifying cultural impact, such as a notable award, showcase, festival, gallery or museum exhibit opportunity
• Any other goal, as defined by the applicant

The program will run as a series of rounds from financial year 2023/24 until financial year 2026/27.

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants must be a company at the time of application. 

Other business structures, including sole traders and public companies, are not eligible. 

Sole traders are instead encouraged to consider applying for the Emerging Gamemakers Fund if they otherwise meet the criteria of that program. 

All applicants and projects must also meet the eligibility criteria under Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade. 

The Games Production Fund offers flexible support to Australian independent gamemakers and games studios. The grant is aimed at projects that already have an early-stage prototype. 

The program allows Screen Australia to respond to the varied needs of gamemakers at different career stages, providing direct funding that will assist studios in meeting their goals and establishing themselves in the international games landscape.

Applicants must contextualise the milestone they are working towards and how this funding will help them achieve it in their applications. Significant milestones include: 

• Completion/release of a game
• Early Access release of a game
• Completion of a demo (to release at a digital event, or present at a physical event)
• Creating a vertical slice that is of global competitive quality and enables a team to access the international funding and pitching ecosystem
• Developing an early-stage prototype to a quality suitable for submission to an accolade signifying cultural impact, such as a notable award, showcase, festival, gallery or museum exhibit opportunity
• Any other goal, as defined by the applicant

The program will run as a series of rounds from financial year 2023/24 until financial year 2026/27.

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants must be a company at the time of application. 

Other business structures, including sole traders and public companies, are not eligible. 

Sole traders are instead encouraged to consider applying for the Emerging Gamemakers Fund if they otherwise meet the criteria of that program. 

All applicants and projects must also meet the eligibility criteria under Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade. 

Digital Originals is a joint initiative of Screen Australia, SBS and NITV, aimed at developing exciting and innovative short-form scripted series for SBS and NITV.  These series contain 6 x 10-minute episodes for broadcast on SBS and NITV platforms.

Digital Originals is targeted at emerging creators working on exciting and risk-taking scripted projects. Following the success ofpast participants such as Homebodies, Moonbird and Appetite, this opportunity is aimed at episodic narrative series designed for SBS and NITV audiences. Prior experience in writing for screen is not necessary.

Up to ten teams will be selected to attend an exclusive workshop run by Screen Australia, SBS and NITV, featuring a range of industry guest presenters and past Digital Originals teams. The workshop will focus on short form narrative writing skills, pitching and developing the projects to align with the SBS Charter and audiences, culminating in a pitch to Screen Australia, SBS and NITV.

From the ten teams invited to attend the workshop, up to five will be chosen to take their project into further development, and from these, up to three will be chosen for production funding and commissioning with SBS, NITV and Screen Australia. Teams will have the support and resources of SBS, NITV and Screen Australia through the development process.

Team members residing outside of New South Wales (NSW), and residing in Australia, will receive economy return flights and accommodation within Australia for two to three team members to attend the workshop in person. Teams residing in NSW but outside of Greater Sydney may be provided with accommodation for the workshop and Pitch Day.

Following the workshop, selected teams will be provided with funding to develop their project, with delivery required by May 2027. Decisions on next steps will be made thereafter.

This program seeks to provide practitioners with the opportunity to create appropriate written and/or visual materials to ensure that projects are as strong as possible when competing for production finance. Emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander producers are encouraged to apply.

What funding is available?

• Up to $30,000 for one-off feature and series documentaries intended for a Commissioning Platform
• Up to $20,000 for one-hour television documentaries 
• Up to $20,000 for online series productions

Funding is available for the further development of a treatment and/or draft scripts, series bible, project development as well as fees for writer, producer, director, story consultant, research, and/or securing production financing.

Turnaround time for decisions is approximately six weeks from deadline.
Deadline: 5pm AEST Thursday10 July 2025
Deadline: 5pm AEST Thursday 4 September 2025
Deadline: 5pm AEDT Thursday 6 November 2025

The Narrative Content Short Film Production Funding Program supports a team of content makers that must include Director, Writer, Producer and, where applicable, Animator, to make a Narrative Content Short Film intended for theatrical festivals.   

The aims of Narrative Content Short Film Production Program are to support:

• Australian live action or animated Narrative Short Films for a first and primary window of a theatrical festival outcome;

• talent who are connected to the stories they tell and reflect the breadth of Australia in service of cultural, creative and economic benefits; and
• talent and stories with viable pathways to festival audiences locally and/or globally.

The program will have two application rounds per financial year.

Internships assist practitioners whose careers would benefit from an attachment to a person, production or organisation. This program is designed to assist the career development of talented filmmakers who can demonstrate a strong commitment to a career in the film industry. This is not an entry-level scheme.

An internship may take many forms and involve features, documentaries, animation, interactive digital media, TV drama or comedy series. For example:

• a director might attach themselves to a more experienced director on a production
• a producer might spend time in a TV production house to observe the script development and creative management process, or they may wish to work with a more senior producer developing a financing plan for a project of their own
• an animation filmmaker may wish to enhance specific technical or creative skills
• a filmmaker may want to hire a more experienced producer or director as a consultant on their own funded production.

 Who can apply?

The potential intern must:

• meet the general eligibility requirements of Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade
• be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australian
• only apply for the internship funding twice in their career.

No minimum credits are required, but previous work will be considered in assessing the applicant’s commitment to screen storytelling as a career.

The International Finance fund provides support to Australian projects with a very high level of global appeal, to assist them to develop pitching materials and strategy, in order to best attract international partnerships and finance in the current market. 

It is open to long form drama and documentary projects on any platform which are market ready, have undergone a successful development process and can demonstrate development funding from an arm’s length commercial partner.

Applications for this fund are open to anyone who:

• meets all requirements and conditions in our Terms of Trade
• is an Australian individual or team.  Co-productions may also apply with an application from the Australian Company.
• has a market-ready, long-form project on any platform
• has undergone significant creative development and has the key creative team attached
• has a project that is uniquely and culturally identifiable as Australian and is also bold, ambitious and has universal appeal
• controls the rights and has meaningful creative control of the project
• can evidence successful development process and funding from an arm’s length commercial partner (i.e. a substantial and well-known international or Australian commercial entity with an effective track record on similar projects, for example, a commissioning platform, broadcaster, local or international distributor, studio or production company of substance) and/or Screen Australia where their development funding will have been fully acquitted as a pre-condition of eligibility.

Please refer to the ACMA guidelines for the definition of a documentary note: Screen Australia does not invest in programs such as reality or magazine television, light entertainment, panel or travel shows, infotainment, current affairs, cooking, ‘how to’, sports, corporate, training, games, extensions to film or TV, or community access programs or projects whose primary market is the education sector.

Long form is defined as a single feature project (scripted or unscripted) of at least 85 minutes duration, an episodic project of at least 3 commercial hours, or an online project of at least 45 minutes total series duration.  XR (Extended Reality) projects can be any length. 

Market ready means the project must be creatively sound, have a realistic estimated budget (or budget range) and finance plan (or plans), and at a stage of sourcing finance, partners and/or pre sales. It will have undergone significant creative development and have the key creative team attached. The stage of development might vary dependent on content type, intended platform of release, and the proposed strategy.

Screen Australia is now accepting applications for events, conferences and activities which exhibit unique benefits to the Australian screen industry.

These events must demonstrate an understanding of changes in audience engagement and how content is financed, made and delivered. Applications must demonstrate how they will have an impact on their audience/participants, or within their particular area of focus.

The aims of the program are to: 

• create opportunities through new, original and inclusive approaches to the industry that will expand networks and grow the Australian screen industry
• support impactful events which are also evolving to be relevant to future audiences and the screen industry
• provide opportunities for professional development/business growth.

Screen Australia is interested in receiving applications from organisers of industry events which are innovative and forward-focused, with plans to engage practitioners in the rapidly changing screen sector.